Football hooligans to be sprayed by police with DNA tagging mist
SelectaDNA marks skin and clothing with an invisible solution that remains present for months and shows up under UV light. It provides forensic evidence to link individuals to a specific crime or event.
It is being rolled out by UK police forces, including Cheshire Constabulary, which will become the first to equip officers with the spray at all League Two games in the region following an initial trial at Crewe Alexandra's home defeat to Port Vale in March.
The rollout begins on Saturday at Crewe's opening home game of the season against Accrington Stanley. It will come less than a month after the latest football disorder statistics showed an 18 per cent increase in the number of matches with reported incidents across England and Wales.
Police hope the tool will act as a deterrent to those participating in any anti-social behaviour or disorder before, during and after matches, as well as letting those involved know that they will be sprayed with a solution that will link them back to the scene of a crime.
The football scheme forms part of Operation Shield, a force-wide initiative in which SelectaDNA Intruder Spray kits will be installed at a number of business premises and shops across the county with the aim of deterring burglars and thieves.
The operation is being led by Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley, who said: 'Here at Cheshire Constabulary, we're committed to doing all that we can to make the county a safer place for everyone, including football fans, and we'll use all the resources available to us to help achieve our goal.
'When it comes to football, we already have a number of measures in place to keep fans safe and the DNA tagging kits are just another tool in our belt.
'Starting from this weekend we'll be equipping our football officers with the spray whenever they are policing any League Two matches in the county.
'While we'd much prefer not to have to use the spray, if required the officers will be able to use it to tag any offenders, with a uniquely-coded but invisible DNA that will provide forensic evidence to link them to any offences.
'I'm hoping this tool also provides the local communities across Cheshire with the reassurance they need that our officers are doing all they can to keep fans and residents safe regardless of the result at the final whistle.'
Cheshire Constabulary is led by Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Football Policing – the UK's most senior football police officer.
He said: 'I'm delighted to see that Cheshire Constabulary is leading the way with the rollout of this new tool.
'We know that the vast majority of football fans are law abiding, but unfortunately on occasions there are some who are intent on causing disorder, which is why a strong policing operation is essential.
'I'm confident that this new tool will make a real difference, by helping to identify and deter the criminals who attend football matches here in Cheshire.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Lift engineer who stole jewellery worth £103k is spared jail
A lift engineer who stole watches and a ring worth £103,000 while servicing a £7m property in Belgravia has walked free from court. Jacques Woods, 25, stole two designer watches and a ring from the address at West Eaton Place on June 28 2021. He was part of a team servicing the property, which stretches over 8,000 square feet and contains a high-speed modern lift. Woods was caught by cleaners poking around bedrooms and other areas that were off-limits to staff. Police were called and he was discovered with photos of the stolen items on his phone. He took a Rolex watch in silver and gold, a Patek Phillipe 715 watch in opaline and gold, and a Cartier love ring in white and rose gold. The value of the haul totalled £103,250 and none of the items have been recovered. Sue Obeney, prosecuting, told Woods's sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court: 'On the Friday before it happened, June 28 being a Monday, the owner went away abroad. 'During that time it seems that Mr Woods availed himself of three high-end items. A Rolex watch described as a silver and gold, a Patek Philippe watch in opaline and gol, and a Cartier love ring in white and rose gold. 'I understand that none of the items were recovered, although the owner did get some reimbursement through insurance. She is somewhat out of pocket. 'He committed these offences due to a drug habit, which became a Class A habit. He effectively sold on these items.' Thief 'is drug-free and rebuilding life' Woods, who represented himself, said: 'That part of my life is quite hazy. Everything I was doing was to pay for a habit. I accept responsibility for what I have done. At the moment I am just trying to put my life back together.' He said he was living in a caravan on a friend's cattle farm and that he was now free of drugs. Sentencing him, Judge Mark Weekes said: 'There must have been some degree of planning. Even for someone of a high net worth, that is a lot of money.' He gave Woods a prison sentence of 12 months, suspended for 18 months, telling him: 'This was serious offending. I am anxious that you should have that sword hanging over your head for that time as it will encourage you to stay out of trouble.' Woods, of Banbury, Oxfordshire, admitted burglary and theft at an earlier hearing. The court heard that he received a community order of 200 hours of unpaid work for a burglary he committed later.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Staffordshire teacher who sent underwear pics to teen banned for life
A teacher who sent pictures of herself in her underwear to a 15-year-old pupil has been banned from the profession for Lowe, now aged 27, had taught at Kingsmead School in Hednesford, Staffordshire, and was caught when "inappropriate" notes were found by the boy's relationship with her pupil began with late-night email sessions in 2021 using emojis and nicknames, months after she started in the role, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel the affair came to light, Ms Lowe was suspended by the school, but she contacted the pupil again, sending him sexual images of herself, the TRA panel was told. After resigning, the teacher was found guilty of engaging in sexual communication with a child and was handed a 14-month suspended jail term, the panel heard. 'Make me proud' Ms Lowe began working as a trainee teacher at Kingsmead School in July September that year, when she was responsible for the then 15-year-old, she began emailing him as late as 22:00, the panel was messages included heart symbol emojis, would often end with a kiss, and used nicknames, the panel Lowe wrote to the pupil using phrases like "make me proud", "try not to miss me too much" and "you've already made my day", the TRA was October 2021, the boy's mother found notes she believed were from Ms Lowe and reported her concerns to the school. An investigation was launched, and Ms Lowe was suspended, the panel having "a warning shot across her bows", the teacher contacted the boy again, and sent him intimate photos, the TRA was told. 'Gross breach of trust' Ms Lowe resigned in November 2021 and was charged by the initially denied the charge before changing her plea to guilty on the day of trial, the panel Lowe was sentenced to 14 months in jail, suspended for 18 months, and was put on the sex offenders register for 10 his sentencing remarks, the judge said Ms Lowe committed a "gross breach of trust" and "used the environment in which you were working with [the pupil] to pursue what was evidently your sexual interest in him"."You moved on to the passing of inappropriate notes to him, and ultimately, by the end of the period that we are concerned with, matters escalated to private digital communications between you and him, including you sending him images of yourself in your underwear," the judge said."The concerning aspect of your case is that after matters came to light, by his mother having found out what was going on, you were spoken to, and yet you still had another face-to-face meeting with him at school, and ultimately, when the investigation was launched and you were suspended from work, you contacted him again, and that included the sending of the images of yourself to him."On behalf of the secretary of state, decision maker Marc Cavey said Ms Lowe's behaviour was "incompatible with working as a teacher".He decided she should be prohibited from teaching indefinitely. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
People held under UK's ‘one in, one out' asylum deal say they had not heard of it
Asylum seekers locked in detention centres as part of Labour's 'one in, one out' deal have said they had not heard of the scheme before arriving in the UK on small boats and were terrified of being returned to their home countries. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said the plan to send one small boat arrival back to France in exchange for accepting another to live in the UK would deter the thousands from crossing the Channel. Since the first group of small boat arrivals were detained just over a week ago on 6 August, 2,363 people have crossed the Channel. More than 50,000 have crossed since Labour came into power. 'I was so happy to survive the journey across the Channel and to reach land in the UK. Then the Home Office locked me up. I'm still in a state of shock,' said one man from Eritrea, speaking to the Guardian by phone from a detention centre. 'We did not understand what was happening to us when the Home Office moved us from Manston [the former military base in Kent] where we were processed, straight to this place which is like a jail. 'When we asked why they were bringing some who arrived on the same boat as me here but letting others go free, they did not answer us. They just said it was because we crossed the Channel illegally.' The man said that neither he nor anyone he knew in northern France knew anything about the 'one in, one out' deal and was not sure it would prevent people from continuing to try to cross the Channel. 'I am very frightened here. There are people who have committed crimes in the UK locked up with us. We have done nothing wrong apart from trying to find a safe place.' He claimed to have been trafficked and tortured when he passed through Libya on his journey from Eritrea. 'I believe if I am sent back to France and the smugglers find me they will kill me,' he said. A second man from Afghanistan also spoke to the Guardian from detention. He said: 'The Home Office have just locked us in these rooms and said we cannot go from here. We are frightened of the dangerous criminals locked up with us. We are so afraid of what Home Office will do to us. 'The Taliban tried to kill me so I escaped from Afghanistan. I thought I was free when I reached [the] UK but instead I am in this prison. We knew nothing about the 'one in, one out' deal when we left France. I don't know if it will stop people crossing the Channel.' The Home Office says the first group of detainees are expected to be returned to France within three weeks, with the UK referring potential returnees to the French authorities within three days of their detention and the French expected to respond within 14 days. A leaflet given to detainees by the Home Office says those returned to France may be offered a financial incentive by the French authorities to return to their home countries. It asks detainees to notify the Home Office if they are seriously ill or a victim of rape, torture or violence, although officials are supposed to screen for these vulnerabilities before detaining people. Karris Hamilton, an advocacy manager at Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, which is supporting those earmarked for forced return to France, said: 'We are extremely concerned about the wellbeing of the men being detained for the 'one in, one out' scheme. 'Those we have spoken with so far are in acute distress and many have been victims of torture, exploited by traffickers on their journeys or victims of modern slavery in Libya. 'People are finding it difficult to eat and sleep due to being in a prison environment, not knowing how long they will be there and fearing that they may be taken back to France. We are very worried that we will see a rise in self-harm, suicide attempts and hunger strikes due to this.'
